Thousands of Roman Catholics were expected to gather early today at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in Rome for the canonization of two women with strong ties to Central New York.

Mother Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha are among seven people Pope Benedict XVI will proclaim saints, placing them in the church’s roster of holy role models. Central New York should take great pride in this designation and the universal message of courage, commitment and charity it represents.

Becoming a saint is a rigorous process, and the road can be long. Mother Marianne, the former Syracuse Franciscan leader known for her compassionate ministry in Hawaii to patients with leprosy, died in 1918. Her journey to sainthood was relatively short; the campaign with the Vatican began in 1983, picked up speed in 2005 and was finalized in December.

Kateri, a Mohawk convert to Catholicism who endured torment and recriminations for her faith, died in 1680. Although admirers immediately believed she should be proclaimed a saint, it took more than 330 years for the Vatican to agree in December that she met the strict requirements for sainthood.

The Central New York saints bring the total number of American saints to 12. That’s pretty impressive for this relatively young country, considering the church has at least 10,000 saints. Even more remarkable is that seven of the American saints are from New York, prompting a New York Times op-ed last Sunday to wonder if “it’s something in the water.”

Among New York’s saints are the three Jesuit missionaries martyred in the 1640s at what is now Auriesville, Isaac Jogues, Jean de la Lande and Rene Goupil; Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was born in New York City in 1774 and founded the Sisters of Charity, the first American order of religious sisters; and Frances Cabrini, who worked with sick, hungry and orphaned Italian immigrants in New York in the 1890s.

For the 1 billion Catholics worldwide — that includes about 25 percent of the American population — saints represent a willingness to follow God’s command, even when it means taking physical and emotional risks.

The Rev. James Martin, the popular Jesuit writer and author of “My Life with the Saints,” suggests that saints are companions, “older brothers and sisters to whom one can look for advice and counsel.”

Saints’ stories offer lessons that remain relevant, even for those who don’t consider themselves religious. Mother Marianne’s life stressed compassion and dignity for all. Her ministry today might apply to AIDS patients, the poor, the elderly — anyone vulnerable to bullying or discrimination. Kateri, as Mohawk writer Doug George-Kanentiio says, represents “tolerance and freedom of religion in the very best sense.”

Saints offer a hopeful message for all: Everyone is capable of doing good work. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. We can all tackle uncomfortable situations.

Courage, commitment and charity are not qualities reserved only for people like Mother Marianne and Kateri. They are available to all of us, if only we’re open to the possibility.